Laminated Dry Floor Grid With Wicking Layer for Slip-Free Durability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dry floor systems in aircraft lavatories and similar areas are not durable enough to withstand heavy traffic and high-pressure contacts, as they are often insufficiently robust to prevent liquid from accumulating and causing slippery surfaces during flights.
Innovation Solution
A laminated dry floor system comprising a grid with a lattice of apertures, a support interlayer with concentrically aligned apertures, a wicking layer, and a base layer, where the support interlayer is bonded to the grid and wicking layer, and a pan assembly to collect liquids, enhancing durability and liquid management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If small aperture grills are used to prevent catching of high heels, then safety is improved, but the grills become insufficiently robust to withstand heavy traffic and high-pressure contacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure combining a rigid grid layer with high strength-to-weight ratio materials (such as aluminum alloy or reinforced polymer) with an underlying absorbent mat layer. This composite construction allows the grid to have sufficient structural strength to withstand heavy traffic and high-pressure contacts while maintaining small aperture openings for safety, as the load is distributed across the composite system rather than relying solely on the grid's inherent strength.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If absorbent mats or small grills are used to contain water on floor surfaces, then liquid containment is improved, but durability is insufficient to withstand heavy traffic and high-pressure contacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the floor system into functionally distinct segments: a rigid grid layer that provides structural support and defines aperture openings, and a separate absorbent mat layer that handles liquid containment. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized for its specific function—the grid for durability and the mat for absorbency—without compromising the other, thereby resolving the contradiction between liquid containment and durability under heavy traffic.
Solution Approach 2:
By combining the rigid grid structure with the absorbent mat material to form a composite floor system, the patent achieves both liquid containment capability and high durability. The grid provides the mechanical strength to withstand heavy traffic and high-pressure contacts, while the mat layer provides the absorbent function, creating a system where both requirements are satisfied simultaneously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively maintains a dry floor by allowing liquids to pass through the grid and wicking layer into a collection pan, ensuring a slip-free surface even under heavy use, with the support interlayer's thickness and aperture alignment ensuring efficient liquid transmission and contact with the wicking layer.
Implementation Method 1
A wicking layer is in contact with the support interlayer opposite the grid
Data Source
AI summary
A laminated dry floor system incorporates a grid having a lattice forming a first array of apertures. A support interlayer is adhered beneath the grid and has a second array of apertures in alignment with the first array, the first array of apertures, second array of apertures and thickness of the support interlayer configured to induce passage of a liquid. A wicking layer is in contact with the support interlayer opposite the grid. A base layer underlies the wicking layer and a pan assembly is configured to receive the base layer.